


Miraculous

by WhumpFan



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alya Césaire Bashing, But late in the story, Canon-Typical Violence, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Lila Rossi Bashing, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24126391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhumpFan/pseuds/WhumpFan
Summary: Marinette felt her cheeks heat up at the question. She was not out of the closet to anyone other than her parents, Rose, and Juleka. She had come out to the two girls after they told the class they were dating. Marinette was gay, very gay and after today harboring a crush on Alya, who was inconveniently sitting right in front of her. So Marinette went with the solution of being as vague as possible.OrA rewrite of Miraculous Ladybug but the endgame ships are Marinette/Kagami and Adrien/Luka. Now comes with teenagers being emotionally affected by fighting a terrorist and Chloe redemption.Credit for the idea and outline of this story goes to @princess-of-the-corner on Tumblr. Please be sure to check them out!https://princess-of-the-corner.tumblr.com/post/188217245332/i-mightve-thought-of-the-bestworst-ladybug-au
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine, Alya Césaire/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug one sided, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Marc Anciel/Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi
Comments: 23
Kudos: 371





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Lovely Humans!  
> This is my first muti-chapter fic so go easy on me! I will warn you now not to expect consistent updates, I will try my best but I am not a fast writer.
> 
> As mentioned in the description full credit for the idea and outline of this story goes to @princess-of-the-corner on Tumblr. Please be sure to check them out!  
> https://princess-of-the-corner.tumblr.com/post/188217245332/i-mightve-thought-of-the-bestworst-ladybug-au
> 
> I think that's it! Please enjoy the story.

Marinette smiled at the girl sitting across from her. They were in the park after the Stoneheart attack and Alya was talking about her new blog. It had been a long time since she had any close girlfriends so it was nice to have someone she could talk to and rely on. Even with only knowing her for a day Marinette had already learnt so much about the other girl. Alya was smart and a bit dorky, she was dedicated to her blog and loyal to her friends. 

Alya broke off from talking about her blog as Adrien and Nino approached them. While Alya was her best friend, Adrien was becoming a close second. After she had found him trying to get gum off her seat the two of them had hit it off quickly. Marnette really enjoyed the banter that came with their conversations. Alya smiled at the two as they sat down before striking up the conversation again. Marinette found herself relaxing in her friend’s company and forgetting about her obligation to be a superhero, even if it was just for a moment.

She was snapped out of her musings by Adrien’s voice.  
“So Marinette, anyone your crushing on?”  
Marinette felt her cheeks heat up at the question. She not out of the closet to anyone other than her parents, Rose and Juleka. She had come out to the two girls after they told the class they were dating. Marinette was gay, very gay and after today harbouring a crush on Alya, who was inconveniently sitting right in front of her. So Marinette went with the solution of being as vague as possible.  
“No really? Just someone in our class, smart and a bit dorky.” Just enough information to keep them all in the dark. Her chances of being vague were quickly shot out of the window by Alya herself.  
“Aw, come on girl! No more details?” Marinette felt her resolve to crumble even more when Alya shot her a wide grin.  
“There name starts with A, Speaking of details I have to help my mum at the barkery! See you all tomorrow!” That was one of the fastest times she had ever left a conversation. 

Marinette was only halfway home when she got a message from Alya.

 **Alya** \- It cool girl! I know who your crush is!  
**Mari** \- What? Are you okay with it? I don't want this to affect our friendship!  
**Alya** \- Don't worry Mari! I’m sure everyone has had a crush on Adrien at some point in time!  
He is a literal sunshine child.  
**Mari** \- Right! Adrien

She turned her phone off before she could get a reply. She could let Alya think she had a crush on Adrien if it meant her other crush wouldn’t be revealed, then she could just pretend that the crush wore off and everything would go back to normal. 

\---  
Adrien left no long after Marinette. After her flustered and sudden exit, the mood had shifted to be awkward and he and Ladybug had made quick plans after the battle to meet up and discuss strategy so they would be better in the next fight. When he made it home, he quickly greeted Nathalie at the door before rushing to his room and waiting for nightfall.

When 8pm rolled around Adrien quietly transformed and exited through one of the many windows in his room, making his way to the Eiffel Tower. He was pleased to see that Ladybug was already sitting there. When he touched down the girl startled before smiling at him and gesturing for him to come over. 

“Hey Chat, glad to see you made it out okay” She offered a smile.  
“Well, I couldn’t miss a chance to hand out with you bugaboo!” The affectionate remark had the opposite effect to what he had hoped and Ladybug grimaced slightly at the name.  
“Don’t call me that!”  
“How about Lovebug? M’lady? Spots?” She let out a light laugh at the last nickname before turning serious again.  
“Seriously Chat, I’m fine with the flirting, maybe not in battle though, but I don't want to lead you on, I’m gay so I wouldn’t recuperate any feelings” She trailed off.  
“Oh! I was just trying to lighten the mood, I’m gay too” She let out a startled laugh and before long they were both laughing on top of the Eiffel Tower.

The conversation flowed better after that, they discussed the possibility of a patrol and different ways to contact each other outside of the mask in case an Akuma appeared and only one of them knew about it. They hadn’t come up with a solution yet. When they finally had to go different ways for the night, Adrien felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He slept better then he had in a while that night.


	2. Evillustrator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathaniel has a crush, Chloe and Sabrina have a complicated friendship and Marinette just wants a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello people!  
> This was written at night so it's probably full of mistakes, I would not be offended if you point them out.   
> I played around with Chloe and Sabrina's characters here so they will seem a bit ooc.

Marinette’s day was going well. She had managed to wake up on time so for once she wasn't late to school. Chloe had not teased her all day and even Miss Mendeleiev was being more pleasant than usual. She should've taken it as a sign that something was going to go wrong. About halfway through their science lesson Miss Mendeleiev interrupted the calm atmosphere of the class by telling Nathaniel off. From what Marinette could hear it was something about him drawing in class.

Nathaniel got up from his desk and quickly gathered his things, he was probably going to the principal's office. Miss Mendeleiev had a nasty habit of sending anyone there who even mildly pissed her off. She exchanged a look with Alya as the redhead hurried down the aisle, only to trip on a bag. His drawings went tumbling out of his bag and even though he tried to gather them quickly Chloe got her hands on one. Even Marinette couldn't miss the cold smirk that grew on her face.  
“Look, Sabrina! Nathanial’s drawing himself as a superhero! And look! He's saving Marinette. How pathetic.” Marinette winced and was about to speak up when Nathanail grabbed the drawing back and rushed out of class. From behind her Alya spoke up.  
“That wasn't cool Chloe” Marinette felt her heart flutter at the protective tone in the girl's voice, even if it wasn't about her.  
“Whatever” 

Before a full-on argument could break out between the two girls Miss Mendeleiev drew attention back to the lesson and started to assign groups. Marinette was a bit upset to not be in the same group as Ayla, Nino and Adrien. Party because she wanted to get closer to her friends and partly because she wanted to spend as much time as she could with Alya. Marinette was even more upset by the fact that she had to do the project with Chloe. By the end of the lesson, Marinette’s good day had been effectively ruined.  
As Marinette went to collect her things from her locker at the end of the day she noticed Chloe and Sabrina taking by there lockers and figured now was as good time as any to discuss the project. Walking over to the girls Marinette initiated the conversation. 

“Hey guys, everything okay?” Sabrina nodded her head quickly, a wide grin spreading onto her face  
“Everything is great Marinette, you and I can do the research and writing for the project while Choe can present! That way its fair” Marinette felt rage building inside her but she squashed it down, not wanting to draw any akumas to them, especially with what happened to Nathaniel earlier in the day.  
“That's not fair at all!-” She turned to Sabrina and rested a hand on her shoulder “- A real friend wouldn't let you do the work by yourself! Is this how your friendship works?” Chloe interrupted the conversation before it could get any further, a panicked and uneasy expression on her face.  
“Don’t listen to her Sabrina, I’m your BFF!” Sabrina nodded, her grin seemed to get even wider before she turned back to Marinette  
“We can start the project in the Library after school! See you then” Then both girls left the locker room, leaving Marinette honestly extremely confused.

After the confrontation in the locker room, Marinette went to find Sabrina in the Library, only to be pulled into an aisle by Chloe. The uneasy expression remained on her face.  
“Listen, I’m glad that you're trying to get Sabrina to stand up for herself or whatever but just be careful okay? I don't want you to upset her with your conflicting ideas of friendship.”  
Before Marinette could reply the blonde stalked off and Marinette finally managed to find Sabrina in the Library. The red headed girl smiled at her widely before she presented an idea that made Marinette smile.

“Marinette! I was thinking that we could do the project together and the teacher cna get Chloe to do her own work for once!”  
“That sounds like a good idea Sabrina! How about we go and tell the teacher now?”  
Sabrina nodded and both girls moved to get up but a scream from somewhere further in the library stopped them. Not even ten seconds later Chloe ran out from behind a bookcase, a hairdryer following her. Quickly Marinette made up an excuse and ran off to a hidden area in the Library. She transformed and by the time she made it back she found Chat Noir already on scene fighting an Akuma with a drawing tablet. The Akuma kept creating weapons and obstacles that moved to block her partner. Ladybug ran in to intervene, creating a shield with her yoyo so that she could get any information from her partner.  
“What are we working with?”

“Calls himself the Evillustrator, anything he draws in that tablet comes to life. He is after Chloe for some reason. I think the akuma is in his pen.” Ladybug nodded before dropping her yoyo and making a move for the pen, her partner right behind her. Instead of reaching their target both hero’s were met with an invisible wall. The Evillustrator moved away while the heroes tried to figure out where to go from there.

Where to go from there was Chloe’s house. The girl in question seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that no not everyone loved her very existence and no Ladybug was not here to make friends. While Chat and her were trying to get information out of the girl she kept taking photos and complaining about school work. Eventually, Ladybug found one of Nathaniel’s sketches with a pair of glasses and a mustache drawn over the sketch of Marinette. Ladybug was not dealing with this today. She grabbed the drawing and left not listening to Chat Noirs half-joking and half very serious judgment. She would deal with consequences later. Right now Ladybug wanted to get home and scream into a pillow.

Apparently the universe did not want Marinette to have one moment to herself. The minute she dropped her transformation and pulled her phone out Marinette noticed what seemed like hundreds of missed calls from Sabrina and realized that she had completely forgotten about the project. She was just about to call Sabrina back when Tikki hid in her purse. Turning around Marinette was met with the Evillustrator standing in her room. Her first reaction was to be terrified but she forced herself to calm down and assess the situation. He hadn't done any serious damage so the safest thing to do would be to try and talk to him. 

“You’re that Evillustrator guy! From the Library. You're not going to hurt me right?” Playing the scared little girl seemed to work because the villain instantly relaxed his posture and smiled at her.  
“Hurt you? No! You’re Marinette, you are sweet, beautiful, and caring. I could never hurt you.” As flattered as Marinette was, not only was a boy trying to flirt with her but the boy also happened to be possessed by an evil butterfly.  
“Oh? Then why are you here?”  
“I just wanted to invite you to my birthday party.” Marinette paused, if she attended the birthday party as Marinette then Chat Noir would be alone to fight the akuma but maybe she could get the villain to calm down if she went.  
“I’ll go, only if you promise not to hurt Chloe.” The Evillustrator seemed to be debating the promise for a moment.  
“I agree, meet me at the docks at sunset” And as fast as he had come the boy was gone.

As soon as the coast was clear Marinette transformed and called Chat informing him of the situation. She told him to protect Marinette and her plan for defeating the Akuma. She also told him that she was on a secret mission, as much as Marinette hated lying, she had to do it this time. Chat agreed and Marinette started to prepare for her ‘date’.  
Just as she was leaving the house Marinette bumped into Sabrina who was waiting outside the door, a wide grin on her face.

“Hey, Marinette! I did you geography homework for you and started the presentation, you got my messages right?” Marinette felt herself still in surprise. The girl was trying to hand her a green folder, properly the homework.  
“You don't need to do this Sabrina!” The girl suddenly went from happy to crushed in seconds.  
“Please take it Marinette!” The Sabrina pushed the folder into her arms, almost desperately. An uneasy feeling grew in Marinette's stomach.  
“Sabrina, I can't take this. Real friends don't let you do their homework for them.” It was amazing how fast that girl's mood could change, she looked angry.  
“You don't need me? Fine! This what Chloe does too, you're just as bad as her, only pretend to be my friend but never letting me try to be one!” Sabrina stormed off and took the green folder with her. Now that Marinette thought about it, Chloe never really looked comfortable taking things from Sabrina. She felt sick, maybe Chloe was actually trying to be nice in the Library.

Before she could think about the idea anymore Chat Noir jumped down in front of her with a confidant grin on his face.   
“I thought I was going to have to save you from her claws, princess” She would have been annoyed with the flirting if she couldn't tell straight away that it was an act. Maybe that was just because she knew him though.   
“Oh! Your Chat Noir! The hero of Paris! How can I help you!?” She could put on a performance too. The smirk was back.  
“I just need you to grab that pen and the rest is up to me. See you tonight Purr-incess!” Marinette waved and rolled her eyes when he was out of sight, the puns were terrible.

Marinette noticed the sun was starting to set and made her way over to the docks where she saw the Evillustrator waiting on a boat and drawing and honestly gorgeous landscape. She decided to hang back a bit to get an idea of the situation and she is glad she did. As soon as the Evillustrator tried to deny Hawkmoth his hand started to shake as if he was in pain and only a few seconds later the Evillustrator was under Hawkmoth's thumb again. This was a development that Marinette had not seen coming.

If she were straight and the Evillustrator wasn't a possessed teenage boy, the date would have been lovely. The atmosphere was nice and the music was soothing. For a villain, Evillustrator didn't seem to want to hurt anyone, other than forcing someone to date him but that was in a different, creeper category. Noticing Chat Noir silently drop onto the boat Marinette knew it was time. She asked to draw something with the pen and was surprised with how willingly the pen was handed over. The plan was going perfectly until the Evillustrator noticed Chat and demanded she handed the pen over, breaking her cover. Chat was quick to trap him behind his baton. 

Faster than either of them could have anticipated, the Evillustrator kicked Chats baton and used it to get the pen from Marinette. He then tapped them both in a box and erased a hole into the ship. Marinette winced as she heard him say he was going after Chloe. She still wasn't a big Chloe fan but after her conversation with Sabrina this afternoon, Marinette kind of wanted to protect the girl. After instructing Chat on how to use his baton to get them out of the box, Marinette ran off to transform and join her partner at Chloe’s house.

The fight at Chloe’s house was a mess, the girl spent the whole time hiding, looking terrified from any quick glances that Ladybug managed to get of her face. That explained her bossy attitude then, stress was always a great way to forget how to be nice. The Evillustrator was also incredibly clever and would have made a good superhero. He managed to push her and Chat Noir into separate corners of the room by a hole and weigh Chat down with a ball and chain. Chat had already used his Cataclysm trying to take out the lightswitch but the Evillustrator had erased it and all he got was the wall.

With her partner in heroism in danger Ladybug called from her lucky charm, only mildly surprised when it gave her something seemingly useless. The bouncy ball started at her unassuming from her parm as Ladybug tried to think of a solution. That's when it hit her. She could use it to take out the light sources. Throwing the ball at the right angle Ladybug watched as all the lighsorces were taken out. Using the distraction she jumped across the hole and grabbed the pen, snapping it and releasing the Akuma. Ladybug called for her miraculous cure and watched as a bunch of tiny ladybugs filled the room, fixing everything that had been broken.   
She was about to go over and help Nathaniel when she saw Chloe helping him up and talking to him in a low voice. The boy did not tlook scared or angry so Ladybug and Chat Noir assumed it was safe to leave and destransform, both heroes tried from the fight.

The next day after Nathaniel had recovered from the akuma, Marinette met up with him in the lunch break. They stood awkwardly next to each other until everyone left the room, Marinette failed to notice Adren lingering by the doorway. Nathaniel smiled at her but he had a confused look on his face.  
“Hey Mari, what did you want to talk about?” Marinette took a deep breath.  
“About yesterday and the drawings-” Nathaniel flushed a deep red before hastily throwing his hands up.  
“Oh gosh! I’m sorry if they made you uncomfortable Mari! I can stop.” Marinette let her smile turn into something more comforting before continuing the conversation.  
“No! It's okay Nath, I can even pose for you sometime if you want more practice. I just needed to clear the air. Your a nice guy and I’m happy to work on a stronger friendship but I’m not looking for a relationship with you right now -” Then without really thinking about it she added on “- You see I’m gay and have a crush on someone else!”

If it was possible Nathaniel’s face grew even more red and he groaned.  
“Why does this keep happening to me?” Five seconds later he seemed to realize what he said and looked up at her.  
“I’m not going to say that I’m not disappointed but I’m honored that you came out to me and will support you with whoever this mysterious crush is. Maybe I can take you up on that offer of friendship sometime this week?” Marinette let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.  
“I would like that a lot, thank you, Nath.” The boy nodded before grabbing his sketchbook and waving goodbye as he exited the classroom. 

Marinette slid into the desk at the back of the classroom and rested her head on the desk. Her heart was still beating fast from the experience but Nathaniel's reaction had calmed her anxieties a bit. He hadn't reacted negatively, instead, he supported her, even with his crush. She was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn't notice Adrien until she felt a tap on her shoulder. Marinette whipped her head around only to be greeted with a guilty-looking Adrien.  
“You startled me! How long have you been there?” Somehow he just looked even more guilty than before and was refusing to make eye contact.

“I kind of heard your conversation with Nathaniel? -” At her and continued quickly “- I’m sorry! I was waiting to meet you and thought the conversation was harmless, I shouldn't have been snooping!”  
Marinette took a deep breath before responding, she had barely been prepared to come out once today, let alone twice.  
“Are you okay with it? You can't tell anyone, I don't know how they would react and it could ruin the friendships I have with them. I mean I know no one reacted badly to Rose and Juleka but -” She was cut off by Adrien resting his hand on her shoulder and finally raising his head to make eye contact.  
“I’m not going to tell anyone, actually can I tell you something?” Marinette nodded unsurely.  
“I’m gay” 

The classroom was slightest for a minute before Marinette broke the tension.  
“Alya thinks I have a crush on you.”  
“Chloe and I only act the way we do because I’m pretending to be straight and to stop other girls from being all over me”  
They both burst out laughing before Marinette paused and looked at him strangely.  
“Wait, but girls can still fall for gay guys and no one actually thinks you like Chloe because she doesn't really act interested, more possessive! She acts more interested in Alix then she is in you!” Her eyes widened at her realization.  
“Chloe's gay and you use each other to pretend to be straight!” Adrien’s eyes widened for a second before he grimaced.  
“Chloe is going to kill me”  
They both laughed again letting the tension drain out of the room. Marinette sighed before checking the time.  
“Lunch is almost over, we should get back to our seats.” Adrien nodded with a grin before they both walked over to their respective seats. When the warning bell rang and everyone started to file in, no one noticed the change in trust between the two classmates and if they did no one commented on it.  
After school Marinette made her way to the locker rooms. She found Chloe and Sabrina in the same spot as last time. Sabrina smiled at her and informed her that Chloe and her were doing the assessment and also showed off the hat Chloe had bought her. Marinette looked up to see Chloe send a small smile at Sabrina before schooling her face into a more neutral expression. 

That night Marinette layed on her bed before pulling out her phone and texting her new friend.

**Mari** : Hey  
 **Adrien** : Hello!!!  
 **Mari** : I was just wondering who knows about everything we talked about today? I need to make sure I don't spill the beans before your ready.  
 **Adrien** : Just you and Chloe. The media would freak if they knew and a scandal is not what the company needs.  
 **Mari** : Fair enough - Only my parents Juleka and Rose know.  
 **Adrien** : I will commit that to memory now ;)  
 **Mari** : Can you do me one more favor?   
**Adrien** : Sure!  
 **Mari** : Alya thinks I have a huge crush on you. Can you play the oblivious card?  
 **Adrien** : Of course I can.  
 **Mari** : Cool! I will bring you a pastry tomorrow  
 **Adrien** : Okay, Nino moved aside. You are my favorite now.  
 **Mari** : HA!

Marinette went to sleep smiling, unknowing of the force she was going to have to face when she went to school the next day.

“Hey Chloe”  
“What did you do?”  
“I may or may not have outed you to Marinette”  
“YOU DID WHAT?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it!  
> Comments and Kudos give me life :)


	3. Copycat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya is trying to set up Marinette with Adrien and Adrien may have made a fan jealous of a relationship that doesn't exist... What a great start to the day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> I'm really sorry about how long this update took and I'm going to be honest, updates are not going to be consistent on this story. I am determined to finish it but I also have lots of work and other activities taking up my time. I hope you enjoy that chapter!!

Marinette stared at the girl sitting across from her on the bed, Alya had called early that morning to see if she could come over. Marinette had been excited all morning, to the point of cleaning her room. It was now obvious that the excitement was unnecessary because Alya was here to try and set her up with Adrien, through a phone call. The idea was laughable, not that she would tell Ayla that. 

Alya had been running practice conversation with Marinette all morning, going as far as to write a script because ‘Otherwise you're going to stutter! Don’t improvise!’. Secretly Marinette was laughing in her head at the entire situation, although Alya was in her room so that was a plus. 

While she was lost in thought Marinette didn't notice that Alya had grabbed her phone and rung the ‘new’ contact made for Adrien. In reality, Marinette and Adrien had exchanged numbers ages ago but Alya seemed blissfully unaware of that fact. Looking up to meet Alya’s eyes as the girl passed her the phone, Marinette found a light blush making its way onto her cheeks before Alya clicked the call and ran to the other side of the room. Shaking away the warm flush in her cheeks Mariennte prepared her love-struck act. 

“Hello, Adrien’s voicemail...This is Marinette...who..has a message for you, of course, because it's your phone, so call me, see you later, bye” Marinette then promptly threw the phone on the bed. As she slumped into the chair next to the bed Alya gave her the ‘Your my best friend but that was sad’ look. Marinette raised an eyebrow and then noticed that she never actually hung up the phone call, an idea made its way into her head.

“What did you expect? Hey, hot stuff. It’s Marinette. I'd like to ask you out but I've got such a crush on you that the only way to talk to you is over this stupid phone! Pretty ridiculous, right?” She made direct eye contact with Alula as the phone promptly told her that the message was recorded and to hit 2 to delete or 1 to save, so Marinette did the logical thing and hit 1, at least Adrien would get a laugh out of it. 

When Marinette raised her eyes from the phone she was met with Alya’s amused and slightly horrified face, deciding she was committed to the act now she provided to flop head first onto the bed and ‘die’ of embarrassment or at least hide the smirk making its way onto her face when she pictured Adrien’s reaction. 

She tensed slightly when she felt Alya sit on the bed next to her and rest a comforting hand on her shoulder.  
“It’s not as bad as you think-” Marinette raised her head to look at Alya, the girl in question grimaced, “- okay it's bad, but you had to tell him one way or another and no more secrets!”  
Marinette let her head drop back into the pillow, no more secrets if only Alya knew. Not that she ever would but a cold feeling still washed over Marinette whenever she thought of how much she kept from her friend.

“Yeah, no more secrets.”  
“Or, Adrien told us about his fencing yesterday, you could just sneak into the locker room and delete the voice message before he even hears it!” Marinette shot up, dang it. She loved Alya, she did but a heist to delete a voice message that Marinette wanted to leave there as a prank. How did her life get so messed up so quickly? 

Lucky Marinette didn't have to think of an excuse not to do a daring phone heist because Alya’s phone went off alerting her to the statue unveiling for Ladybug and Chat Noir, a statue so important that the Ladyblogger just had to be there for it. As the girl rushed out of the house and down to the sidewalk Alya turned back to Marinette a guilty look coming onto her face.  
“I’m sorry Marinette, I have to be there for the Ladyblog, do you think you can do this by yourself?” Marinette grinned,  
“I’ve got this! You just make sure to get good footage for the Ladyblog!” Alya grinned back at Marinette before running off to get to the park. As soon as Alya was out of sight Marinette transformed and made her way to where the wailing was supposed to be, she hoped she wasn't too late.  
\-----  
Adrien walked into the locker rooms with a grin on his face, he was getting better at fencing every day, his father was going to be impressed, hopefully. Opening his locker the boy frowned when he was met with the sight of his kwami Plagg sitting in an empty container that was supposed to hold all the cheese the kwami would need for the rest of the day.  
“Plagg, you pig,” He said it in a teasing tone, the black cat smirked,  
“I’m a growing Kwami, I need my cheese!.... Also, you have a voice message”  
Adrien frowned before picking up his phone to see that Marinette had left him a message, opening his it found himself first confused then laughing. He sent Marinette a questioning text message before grabbing Plagg, transforming and heading over to the statue unveiling. 

Chat landed by where the statue was supposed to be unveiled and looked around for Ladybug. He was five minutes early so she may just be running a little late. Instead of getting caught up on where his best friend was Chat started to look around for Théo, the creator of the statues. He found the artists standing near something, properly the statue, covered in a sheet. The man kept glancing up at the sky than at a photo in his hand, probably looking for him and Ladybug.

Chat walked up to him and started to make small talk while the crowd gathered. It was now starting to become clear that if Ladybug was coming she was going to be late. Chat made note of that so he could inquire later, right now he had a statue to admire. The statues were amazing, very well sculpted and Théo was a good presenter. After the crowded left Chat stayed back in hopes of reassuring Théo that Ladybug would have come if she could.

“Hey, I know you were looking forward to both heroes being here but I’m sure Ladybug loves it.”  
“I hope she does” I soft smile made its way onto the sculpture's face and Chat was hit with the sinking realization that Théo liked Ladybug, this was going to be awkward. In hopes of avoiding an Akuma Chat tried to let him down easy.  
“Hey man, I’ll be the first to admit that Ladybug is amazing but you're not really her type.” Chat watched at Théo’s eyes narrowed and winced. He handled this very badly apparently.  
“Oh? And what is her type? Possessive blondes with a leather obsession.”  
“That's not what I'm trying to say”  
“Then what are you trying to say?” Chat paused, he couldn't just out Ladybug but it would be unfair on her if he said they were dating.  
“Just not that” Théo’s eyes narrowed again before he stormed off, Ladybug was going to be so mad at him.  
\-------  
Ladybug landed next to Chat Noir and looked around confused before making eye contact with Chat with a questioning gaze, he grimaced.  
“Hey bug, you missed the presentation and I may have created and Akuma, anything happing with you?” Ladybug paused for a second trying to process what he just said,  
“An Akuma?” Chat trained his gaze to the ground,  
“Yeah...He was talking about you in a love-struck way and I tried to tell him that you weren't interested but I couldn't reveal your sexuality so he just assumed I was being possessive and stormed off, I’m sorry!”

Ladybug felt herself relax slightly before pulling Chat into a hug,  
“It's not your fault, we can deal with the Akuma if one happens, thank you for protecting my secret” She tightened the hug when she felt her partner relax into it, they held the hug for a few more seconds before separating.  
“Thanks, bug, I have to go but just keep an eye out for an Akuma okay?” Ladybug nodded, giving him a parenting smile before they both jumped off.

As Marinette let her transformation drop in her room he pulled out her phone to see a message from Adrien.  
**Adrien:** Got a good laugh from the voicemail, one of Alya’s schemes?  
**Marinette:** Glad one of us got to have some fun! 

She was waiting for Adrien’s reply when her phone started to ring, a bit startled Marienette checked the caller id, Alya. Why would Alya be calling her? They had already seen each other this morning, shrugging off her worries Mariennte picked up the phone.  
“Finally girl! Did you year about Chat Noir?”  
“No, what happened?”  
“He stole the Mona Lisa”  
Marinette rolled her eyes, so the Akuma was an exact replica of Chat Noir then, somehow she wasn't surprised.  
\-----  
Chat ran towards the louvre where he knew the Akuma was, he just had to convince the police that it was an Akuma that stole the famous art and that the superhero had not gone rogue. 

When he landed in front of the Louvre Chat was instantly met with what seemed like the entire police force plus the police chief and mayor, that was going to be harder than he thought.  
“Returning to the scene of the crime?” Chat snapped his head over to look at the police chief.  
“I need you to understand that this was not me, it was an Akuma who has taken my form and is looking to frame me. I’m pretty good at picking up on clues if you could let me in I might be able to find the true suspects identity.”  
The police chief seemed to consider his opinions for a moment before nodding and escorting him into the building, they headed straight for the exhibit where the Mona Lisa normally resided. 

Chat's eyes were instantly drawn to the lollipop stick that Théo was sucking on earlier, so the Akuma was Théo. He turned around to tell his escort when he saw bars drop down and block his exits. So this was a trap, a pretty good one too if he didn't have destructive powers.  
“What are you doing?”  
“Kittys in the slammer, I repeat kitties in the slammer” The Cheif then made his second stupid decision and left Chat alone to go back to the mayor. 

As soon as the officer was out of sight Chat called for his cataclysm and rusted the bars then jumped up and swung at the bars, breaking them with the force of the impact. He ran down the stairs only to encounter more officers who quickly blocked all his exits. Running through the options in his head Chat concluded that he could have to fight his way out. Using his baton to disarm the officers and punching them in the head Chat took down all the officers and made his way up onto the roof and called Ladybug.

“What's going on?” Her voice was filled with worry when she answered.  
“The police caught me, I had to fight my way out, I’m sorry bug. I have confirmation that the Akuma is Théo and I’m pretty sure that he is in his penthouse/workshop but I’m going to do some investigating so-” He was cut off by the sound of a helicopter behind him. Chat hung up and started running across the roofs. 

He managed to lose the helicopter by dropping into an alleyway but the police cars caught up faster than he anticipated. Chat scanned the street from a place to hide, eyes landing on a subway entrance. He made a sprint for the subway and dropped his transformation once inside. Feeding Plagg some cheese, Adrien then made his way out the other entrance and walked over to Théo’s workshop. 

Transforming back into Chat once he made it to his destination, Adrien started to scout out the area and eventually found a point of entry through the window. Before he entered the warehouse he messaged Ladybug.  
**Chat:** I’m at Théo’s penthouse/workshop thing.  
**Bug:** Okay, wait for me to get there then we can make a plan of attack  
**Chat:** Sorry Bug, this was my fault and I'm going to fix my mistake

Adrien closed his communicator, he knew that going in alone was dangerous but it was his fault that the Akuma happened and he felt the need to fix it. Walking into the penthouse Chat frowned at the envelope on the box in the middle of the room, it looked almost like a message? Felling curiosity take over Chat walked over and opened the envelope, he had no time to read the letter inside however as chains sprung out of the ground and surrounded his wrists.

After realizing that pulling the chains would get him nowhere Chat went for the next option, and called for his cataclysm, only for a piece of wood to be forced onto his hand before he could reach the chains holding him prisoner. Looking up he found himself face to face with the Akuma, who as he had guessed earlier was a replica of him. 

Pushing down his fear, Chat kicked out his feet trying to catch the Akuma off guard, the action only seemed to further show just how helpless he was in the situation. Resigning himself for now Chat forced himself to stop fighting, hopefully, something would come up in the conversation.

“I don’t get what Ladybug sees in you,” That caused Chat to pause for a second because Ladybug was his friend... Nothing else. Was this Akuma really over jealousy? He just thought that the Akuma liked Ladybug not that the Akuma thought Ladybug was in love with her partner. “Why would she love a fool who fell so easily for my trap?” Chat blocked out the Akuma’s gloating and started to look for the Akumatized object, his eyes fell on the purple photo in the Akumas hand. 

As silently as he could, Chat reached for his baton only to find it not there, he looked back up to see the Akuma holding his baton with a smirk.  
“Should I use yours or mind to contact Ladybug?” The Akuma seemed to decide that using Chats was the best option and rang Ladybug.  
“Ladybug, hurry, I've found the imposter in Théo’s workshop.”  
Chat smirked as he watched the Akuma put the baton down and tuck the photo into a zippable pocket. He had already told Ladybug where he was, she knew what she was walking into.  
\------  
“I'll be there in 30 seconds”  
Ladybug shut her communicator with a loud snap, the Akuma had caught her partner and she was not happy about it. She started to make her way to Théo’s workshop but called for her lucky charm first. A red-spotted rope appeared in her hands.  
\----  
Chat grunted as he was pushed to the ground and the imposter sat on top of him. Truthfully the chains scared him. The feeling of being trapped and helpless, unable to do anything. Not being in control. It reminded him too much of the tight grip his father had on his life. He closed his eyes trying to ground himself, he just needed to wait for Ladybug, she would get him out of the chains, he trusted her. He started to struggle again when he felt the Akuma reach for his ring.

A thud startled both the boys on the floor as Ladybug entered, a rope clutched tightly in her hand.  
\-----  
Ladybug slowly approached the two figures on the floor, she was pretty sure that Chat Noir was on the ground and the Akuma was on top but she needed to make sure.  
“Wow, he really looks like you” The imposter? Looked up and nodded,  
“Yeah, the Akuma is in his ring” Ladybug walked further into the room,  
“You didn't tell him about our secret right?” The imposter, she was sure it was the imposter now got a calculating expression on his face,  
“No I would never tell an Akuma about us, My Lady” That was all the confirmation she needed. 

Ladybug nodded at her partner to bucked his body, making the Akuma unstable, Chat then twisted his body and swept his legs under the Akuma making him land on the ground on his back. Ladybug then stepped in and wrapped the rope around the Akuma's hands and legs, effectively immobilizing him. 

Chat made his way over, the Akuma just in reach of his chains, and opened one of the pockets, pulling out a purple photo. Chat then tore it in half.  
“Miraculous Ladybug”

Chat looked a little to relived for Ladybugs liking when the chains disappeared, she would have to ask him about it later. For now, they did their classic fist bump and Chat left in his parting pun,  
“Better help him out, his crush just got crushed” He then left because he only had one minute left.

Ladybug turned her attention to the young adult on the ground in front of her, he was looking around confused.  
“What am I doing here? Ladybug?” She put on her best comforting smile,  
“You were akumatized, but for the record, I’m sorry I couldn't make it this morning, you have lots of talent.” He sent her a smile before picking up the photo of her and holding it up.  
“Can you sign this for me?”  
“Of course I can!” She took the photo and scribbled her signature on it.  
“Thank you, Ladybug...Also, I know about you and Chat, I’ll keep a secret I promise '' She felt her heart drop.  
“Oh, Théo, yeah please keep it a secret, I’m not ready for the public to know I’m Gay” Théo paused for a second.  
“I thought you were together, I'll keep this a secret too though” She sent him a soft smile before hearing her earrings beep.  
“I gotta go, good luck with your art Théo, Bug out!”

The next day in class Marinette overheard Nino suggest a move to Adrien, apparently so did Alya because she tacked on quickly, dragging Marinette into the plans, trying to set her up with Adrian. The boy in question grinned at the idea of going to a movie with his friends.

 **Chloe:** Dupain-Cheng  
**Marinette:** Chloe?  
**Chloe:** So Adrien told you?  
**Marinette:** Yeah he did, I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable, I won't tell anyone  
**Chloe:** I don't need your pity Dupain-Cheng  
**Chloe:** I would like to propose a truce  
**Marinette:** What?  
**Chloe:** You make Adrien happy, I want him to be happy or whatever  
**Marinette:** A truce sounds good Chloe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Your support has been really nice, your all amazing <3


	4. Dark Cupid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its Valentine's day! The day of love doesn't quite go as planned though...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Its been a few weeks...
> 
> Also, I did not expect to see so much Chloe in this chapter when I drafted it...oh well...More character developments, not a bad thing.

Marinette looked up from her desk to face the teacher, they had been studying fairy tales for the past week and the classes were getting kind of repetitive.   
“In most fairy tales, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess. Who can tell me why?” Marinette paused, that was only like two fairy tales. Before she could point that out Rose raised her hand.  
“Because only love can conquer hate” Marinette guessed that worked too.  
“Correct!” Max raised his hand,  
“Technically, that is only true in 87% of cases” 

Marinette let her eyes drift away from the conversation and focused on what her best friend was doing. Adrien was leaning over a piece of paper and scribbling something on it that she couldn't make out. Every now and then he would glance towards Chloe or Alix. Pulling a page out of her book, Marinette drew a quick question mark on it before she balled it up and tossed it onto his table. Adrien glanced up, checking on the teacher before opening the paper. He then turned back to her and winked before going back to what he was doing.

Alya sent her a confused look which Marinette elected to ignore. It seemed that Mariennte wasn't the only one to notice Adrien not doing the classwork because Miss Bustier turned her attention to him.   
“Adrien, I hope that's about my lesson” The boy gave her his model smile,  
“Love conquers hate, true loves kiss but only in 87% of cases” Miss Bustier looked like she was going to say something but the bell rang and students started to leave the class in a hurry,  
“Don't forget to finish Sleeping Beauty! And happy Valentines Day”

Marinette turned to Alya when she realized Adrien had not risen from his seat yet,  
“I'll meet you outside” The other girl nodded, smirking at her and tilting her head at Adrien before leaving. Marinette looked around and noticed that it was just her and Adrien left in the classroom, she slipped into Nino’s seat.   
“What are you working on that has you so distracted?” Adrien put down his pencil and smiled at her,  
“Just something for Chloe” Speaking of Chloe, said girl entered the room and sat on the desk in front of Adrien’s seat.

“Adrikins, Dupain-Cheng” Marinette nodded her head in greeting.   
“Hey, Clo, I finished some of the poem but I can't think of anything for the last line” Marinette leaned over from her seat,  
“Oo, what poem? Who's it for?” The blonde girl narrowed her eyes,  
“None of your business Dupain-Cheng” Adrien raised an eyebrow at his friend, the two childhood friends getting into a staring match which Adrien must have one because five seconds later Chloe relented.  
“Fine! It's for Alix, you know for Valentines Day or whatever” Marinette smiled at the girl,  
“Well, I should get going, but if you need any help with that last line of the poem you should call”

Marinette didn't see the slightly shocked expression on Chloe’s face or the grin that settled onto Adrien's as she walked out of the classroom.  
\----  
She caught up with Alya out the front of the school, her friend had her attention on Kim and Max who were discussing something while looking at a jewelry box? She didn't have to wait long for an answer because Alya grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the two boys. Marinette decided to stubbornly ignore the heat that was rising in her cheeks.

“Wow sparkly, is that for me?” Her friend gestured to the box that Kim was handling, inside was a very expensive looking jewelry. Max smirked,  
“No Alya, it's for someone else, it's for-” Max was cut off my Kim casually wrapping and arm around his mouth, and continuing the sentence for him,  
“-It's for no one” Kim's answer did not seem to deter Alya at all.

“Scoop! Kims got a crush-” She pulled out her phone and clicked record “-Who's the lucky lady?” Marinette rolled her eyes at her friend before pulling Alya’s phone down.  
“It’s gorgeous Kim, I’m sure she will be ecstatic” Kim shuffled his feet nervously,  
“She’s still got to accept it...What if she says no?” The panic that crossed his face is both adorable and painful at the same time.  
“It's a thoughtful gift Kim, it's obvious you put a lot of time and effort into it. She will accept it and if she doesn't then she has no idea what she is missing out on” Her speech seemed to calm down from his monetary panic,

Kim turned back to Max,  
“Operation Valentine's day is underway!” They then proceed to high five while Max pulls out a map with a highlighted route on it.  
“You run this path and you should make it to the bridge exactly one minute before she does, you should be able to catch her before anyone else asks first” Kim nodded, a smile on his face as he jogged off, yelling a thanks over his shoulder. Max shook his head fondly with a grin before leaving in the opposite direction, leaving Marinette and Alya alone.

“You know girl, you really should learn to take your own advice, I’m sure we could come up with a cool for you to ask Adrien out with.” Marinette felt herself wince,  
“It's okay Alya, I don't think I’m ready for that. I just want to spend this day with my friends” She felt Alya wind an arm around her waist and not for the first time cured her friends' clinginess messing with her mind.   
“Come on, I’ll walk you home” Before she knew it, Marinette was waving goodbye to Alya as the girl made her way back to her own house.

As she walked into the bakery Marinette yelled out a quick hello to her parents and grabbed some cookies for Tiki before heading upstairs to her room. When she got there she laid out the cookies for her delighted Kwaimi and pulled out her sketchbook. 

“I thought you told Alya that you were going to spend today with friends?” The Kwami tilted her head in confiscation and her chosen's actions, Marinette sent her a soft smile.   
“Alya walked me here and I spoke to my class today, I think I can spend some time designing” The Kwami nodded her head, and for a second Marinette though that was the end of the conversation, she had obviously forgotten what a mother hen Tiki could be when she wanted to. 

“So what about Chloe?” Marinette felt her pencil still,  
“What about Chloe?” The Kwami rolled her eyes,  
“Do you want to try and be friends with her?” She had stopped sketching at this point,

“I don't know? I mean, she’s Chloe. This is the girl who bullied me for years, I can't just let that go -” Tikki tilted her head in a go on gesture “-She just seems to be trying more now, and I know people change as they get older, so maybe it's worth giving her a chance. I mean Adrien thinks she's a good person but Alya is completely against even entertaining that idea.” Marinette let out a breath to gather her thoughts before continuing, “I guess I could give it a chance if she reached out and tried, like a clean slate”

Marinette leaned back into her chair, glad to let her feelings on the subject out without the fear of being judged, the Tiki gave her a few seconds to gather her though before adding her own input,  
“I think it's good that you're giving her a second chance Marinette! But don't let that clean slate come at the cost of your own mental health” Marinette smiled at the Kwami and nodded in agreement, her mental health was important, especially with Hawkmoth around.

“You know, Tiki, Alya made a good point today.-” The kwami looked at her in confusion “- I do need to follow my own advice” Before she could go back on her plan, Marinette pulled out her phone and wrong Alya.

“Hey girl, what's up?”  
“Hi, Alya! I was just wondering if...Well if you... I just wanted to know if you would spend the rest of Valentine's day with me? I want to spend it with one of my best friends”  
“Sure! Meet you at the park in 10”

Marinette stubbornly turned away from Tiki’s look.   
“I know, I know, I chickened out. Alya's friendship means more to me right now than a romantic relationship, I just want her friendship.” She missed Tiki’s smile,  
“That was very mature of you Marinette”  
\----  
Of all the things Chloe was expecting on her way home, running into a nervous-looking Kim was not one of them. Chloe glanced down at the time for what felt like the 5th time in the last ten minutes, she needed to catch up with Sabria so that she could meet up with her dad. She really didn't have time for this.   
“What are you doing here?” She was trying to keep her voice as blunt as possible if only to hurry things along.  
“I-I” She could feel impatience rising in her.  
“You-you? Come on, out with it”  
Then Kim did something she was not expecting, he dropped to his knees like he was going to propose and asked to be her Valentine. She knew she was pretty, but Chloe figured her personality would scare away possible suitors, apparently not. 

“No offense, Kim, my hearts saved for someone more awesome” She winced, that came out worse then she had intended it to. Before he could reply, an empty bag of chips flew into Kim's face. Chloe sighed, she might as well just cut her losses before she messed up even more. Yet she still found herself muttering a quiet,  
“Don’t you just hate it? How harsh love can be?”  
And if she messaged Adrien and Dupain-Cheng about the incident, well that was nobody's business.  
\----  
Marinette and Alya were standing outside the park, icecream in hand when she got the text. A number she hadn't seen in years flashing across her home screen with a simple message.

“I messed up”

She was just about to inquire further when she heard Alya grunt in pain. The girl had dropped her ice cream cone and was holding her head, before she looked up and glared daggers at Marinette.

“Alya? Are you okay?” The girl sneered.  
“How could I be okay hanging out with you? You're not my friend, you're a joke.”

Marinette blinked in shock as the girl stormed off. She looked around, hoping to find something to explain the sudden change when she saw it. An Akuma was hovering over the park. What really caught her eye was the pin, it was the one Kim was going to ask the mystery girl out with. Suddenly Chloe’s text started to make more sense. 

She darted away quickly, losing the Akuma in the side streets and transforming into Ladybug before she gave chance to the Akuma over the rooftops. The Akuma turned around suddenly and started to shoot arrows at her. Ladybug pulled up her yoyo shield but found herself being pushed further and further off the roof until her food met air and she toppled off. 

Quickly she used her yoyo to catch herself and took a moment to catch her breath. Chat met her on the ledge she had landed on not five seconds later.

“What's the situation?”  
“Akuma's Kim, I’m not sure what the arrows do but my best friend just yelled at me so I’m guessing it makes you hate the people closest to you, that or mind control?”

Suddenly Chat’s eyes widened and he positioned his body to cover hers, only yelling out a sorry before an arrow hit his back and he shut his eyes in pain. 

“Chat? Chat? Answer me! Are you okay?” She could feel her heart hammering in her cheat, only slowing slightly when her partner opened his eyes - except, something was wrong.

“Ladybug I loathe you” She felt her heart sink,  
“Chat please, snap out of you”  
“I hate you” She felt tears welling up in her eyes but she forced them down, even as Chat's grip went from protective to painfully restraining. She stepped on his foot and twisted out of the twisted hut before running over the rooftops and towards Chloe’s hotel. If the Akuma was Kim, then Chloe probably knew something about it.  
\----  
Adrien tried to force the fog out of his mind. He felt heavy and like he was floating at the same time, a strange detachment from the world around him. He felt his body move forwards, towards the Akuma he had been fighting. Adrien tried to move away, run or scream for his partner but nothing happened. He watched as the deal was made. As his body worked to fight against his partner. He couldn't even cry.  
\---  
Chloe looked up as the doors of the hotel lobby were flung open and Ladybug ran inside. She felt herself shift so that she was standing defensively in front of Sabrina, just in case an Akuma ran in after. 

Ladybug looked up and made eye contact with her.  
“You have to leave. Kim’s been turned into Dark Cupid. He can't find you here” She sounded panicked and slightly annoyed. Chloe found herself flinching. The Akuma was her fault, she has caused Kim to - maybe she was too harsh in her rejection. Or maybe it was a horrible misunderstanding.  
“Why would he have a vendetta against me?”

Annoyance flickered over Ladybug's face before a sudden determined look overtook her face as she jumped, using her yoyo to shield Chloe and Sabrina from arrows that were now coming from a flying Akuma, Kim. 

Ladybug had managed to get them safely out of the building when Chat Noir stepped in the way. Ladybug urged them to run and Chloe was no hero, she ran and dragged Sabrina with her. The conversation between the two heroes fading to fighting as she got further away.  
“Well, well, Ladybug.”  
“I don't want to fight you”

\---

As the hero’s fight got further away, Chloe was startled by the sound of wings and realized that Akuma was following her. Sabrina has already suggested they split up so Chloe was running down side streets alone trying to get away from the monster she created. Any hope she had of getting away was squashed when she tripped over and fell next to a dumpster, the Akuma landed in front of her, arrow ready. So Chloe did the only thing she knew how distracting people's attention from the real problem.

“My hair! What have you done to my hair? This is your fault, look at my jacket. My day is ruined because of you!” She felt her heart beating fast hoping that the distraction worked when the arrow was lowered and she let out a sigh of relief.

“I don't need to waste my arrow on you, your heart is so dark, there's no room for love”

Chloe felt herself shatter a bit more as the villain flew off. She was a monster, she had already acknowledged that. Cruel, unfair, spoiled, all words used to describe her. It's the image she had built. People took one look at her and didn't dig any further, it had worked for years. Now sitting in the dumpster she wondered if that's the image she wanted. 

She was cut out of her thought by Sabrina coming around the corner, it was dark but the girl's lips looked darker than normal, maybe makeup? She felt her lips trembling, the teras already coming out when she asked the question.  
“Sab, help me?” She hated how weak her voice sounded.  
Sabrina just scowled down at her though, before a smirk appeared on her face.  
“As if I would help someone as stuck up as you”

Chloe couldn't stop the tears anymore as they came cascading down her face. She curled into a ball and didn't hear her best friend walk away.

\---

“I often wonder what my cataclysm will do to a person”

Ladybug shuddered at the words. A late-night conversation flashed into her head, the two teens on patrol, past midnight. The blonde boy had turned to her and expressed his fears over his powers. And now this twisted version of her friend was taking a terrified teenagers words and turning them into her nightmares.

She just needed to kiss him, well she hoped. It's said that love conquers all and she loves her best friend. Platonic love is still love. She called for her Lucky Charm.

As the magic faded, Ladybug's eyes landed on the candy apple in her hand, a groan of frustration at her powers unhelpfulness. That was until she got an idea. Pulling out her yoyo to block the arrows being shot at her, Ladybug reached out her hand to grab Chat’s tail as her partner tried to run in for a killing blow. 

She then threw the candy apple at Dark cupid who instantly grabbed it. He then grabbed his bow, not noticing how sticky his hands were until too late. As Dark Cupid ran into the fountain to try and unstick, Ladybug placed a hurried kiss on her partner's cheek. Chat blicks up at her in confusion for a second before the pain become evident on his face.

“Grab the pin, we will talk later” She then threw her partner at the Akuma in the fountain. Chat grabbed the pin with his cataclysm and at the same moment, Ladybug used her magic to cure Akuma.

As the Akuma transformed back into Kim, Ladybug held out her hand for a fistbump which was quickly returned.

“Pound it”

Both heroes looked up as emergency services reached the scene, knowing that Kim was in good hands they went to a rooftop nearby.

“I can't believe I let myself hurt you”  
“It wasn't your fault”

Both teenagers looked at each other before folding into a hug. Neither mentions it when they both started crying, the routine was already familiar to the two heroes.  
\----  
Two hours after the battle Adrien finds himself in Chloe’s room at the hotel. Both teens are sitting on the bed, nail polish in between them as Chloe finish’s Adrien’s toenails. A sunset pattern with small star details, that seemed to twinkle whenever he shifted.

“What happened with Kim today? I got your text, sorry I couldn't reply sooner.” Chloe’s hand trembles slightly and Adrien knows he hit a nerve, he waits for an answer anyway.

“He asked me out, like a proposal for something. It was so public and I needed to see my dad. I said some bad things to him and I really messed up this time. How can I expect Alix to accept the poem when I can't even be nice for one day” She was crying now, the nail polish is forgotten as Adrien wraps a comforting hand around her shoulder.

“I thought I was doing better”


	5. Horrificator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The class tries to film a movie, feelings get hurt and Chloe learns how to apologize!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Brain: Chloe cant be redeemed all at once, it takes time  
> Also My Brain: REDEMPTION  
> My Brian: ...fine a little redemption
> 
> Sorry about the slow updates! I promise I'm trying to get them out fairly quickly. School only has 8 weeks to go through so you can expect more frequent updates after those eight weeks!

Marinette watched from the side as Adrien and Mylene ran the first scene from the short film that the class was working on. It was a film consent that Nino found, the rest of the class jumped onto the idea quickly though. The class worked together to write the script, create the costumes and props, figure out the scenery, cast the film, and now they were filming it. While the casting was perfect in Marinette's opinion, they were running into one small problem.

Mylene let out a startled shriek when Ivan popped out from where he was hidden, the homemade monster mask over his face. Mylene’s scream was quickly followed by Nino exasperatedly shouting cut. 

The problem was that Mylene, who was playing the main character, was afraid of the costumes. 

“Sorry, Mylene, I didn't mean to scare you” Ivan muttered, pulling his girlfriend into a hug. The scene was cute but Marinette couldn't focus on the young couple as annoyed muttering started up around the room. She heard someone mention that it was the 14th take, which was true but there was no need to make Mylene feel worse. 

Ivan continued his conversation with Mylene while the class argued over the number of takes, “It’s just big old me Mylene, nothing to be afraid of”,

Chloe who had been just possibly listening up until this point chimed in,

“He doesn't even need a mask to look scary” 

Marinette winced, while she was slowly coming accustomed to Chloe’s brand of friendly teasing the rest of the class was not so she sent Chloe the ‘ _ I know you're trying to be nice but that came out wrong and you should apologize’  _ look, a look which Adrien and Sabrina also gave her. Chloe looking a little guilty quickly mumbled a ‘sorry’ to Ivan. 

The class seemed to decide on whatever they were discussing because Nino quickly jumped back into director mode. 

“Ivan, put the mask back on, you're playing the monster. Mylene please try to stay in character” He sounded exasperated.

Mylene shook her head and seemed to be trying to back out of the classroom, She looked like she was having a panic attack. In her haste to get out of the room, Mylene bumped into Adrien, startling her more and sending her into a deeper spiral. Before anyone could say something Chloe spoke up,

“Hey Mylene, if this is scaring you we can get someone less chicken to do it”, while her tone was softer then normal the sentence did not have the desired effect and Mylene burst into sobs before running out of the classroom, Ivan a few seconds behind her.

\----

The class waited in silence, occasionally glaring at Chloe until Ivan got back. He looked pissed when he did. 

“You upset her” Chloe looked down at her shoes,

“I was just trying to help”, Marinette stepped in to stop the conversation from escalating. 

“It's okay Chloe, well it's not okay and you should apologize to Mylene, but it’s good to see you tried, even if the wording was off -” She then turned to the rest of the “- Fighting won't bring Mylene back, I’m the producer, I will do what I can to get filming finished tonight” The class still looked uncertain and Max piped up,

“The Film Festival deadline is tomorrow in precisely 26 hours, 15 minutes and 13 seconds from now”

That was pretty close, before she could comment on the situation Nino took charge again. 

“I know we all want Mylene to play the main character, but right now she's not here and we have a deadline, who's going to play her part?” There was a moment of silence before Chloe reluctantly raised her hand and said she would play the role. 

Alya looked personally offended by the idea of Chloe playing the main character and brought up that she hadn't read the script, this made an offended look cross Chloe’s face when she mentioned that she had read the first scene. The fight that was slowly escalating was interrupted by Nino.

“First scene. The one that ends in a kiss?”

“What kiss?” Alya sounded outraged as she grabbed the script and started flicking through it. Marinette was also surprised by the inclusion of a kiss while Adrien and Chloe winced at the idea of having to kiss each other.

“Who wrote this?” Alya had located the kiss in the script then. Nino winced and raised his hand.

“I did”

Alya slowly turned to him and the couple started to fight over how Nino edited the script without telling her and how necessary the kiss was. Meanwhile, Marinette turned to Adrien and Chloe.

“Are you guys okay with kissing?” The two teenagers shared a glance before Adrien answered.

“No really, Chlo’s like my sister, kissing her would be weird.” Chloe nodded in agreement.

“Alright I’ll try and stop this, this is Mylene’s role anyway, we shouldn't be giving it away. “

\----

Marinette turned her attention back to the class and raised her voice,

“Guys, we can't just give up on Mylene, she is our friend and her wellbeing is more important than the film right now, I’m going to go find her and I hope you can try and brainstorm solutions while I’m gone.” Not wading for an answer Marinette left the classroom.

**_ Yes Hawkmoth _ **

Marinette made her way down to the girl's bathrooms and started calling for Mylene, it was too quiet and the empty stalls were giving her the creeps. While she may not have found Mylene in the bathrooms she did find a weird hardening goo-like substance on the bathroom mirror. When she touched it she felt a shiver go down her spine, Marinette had a bad feeling about this.

“Did you find her?” Marinette jumped at the sound of Alya’s voice as the other girl walked into the bathroom.

“No, nothing” 

“We should head back” Marinette nodded and both girls made their way back to the classroom, a little put out.

\----

When Marinette and Alya made it back to the classroom they walked in on the kiss scene about to happen.

“CUT”

Chloe and Adrien quickly parted, both looking very uncomfortable, Nino looked annoyed.

“I’m the director, only I’m supposed to say cut”

“You abandoned Mylene, what if we had found her and she came back to find out she had been replaced, this isn't a good idea Nino.” Before the fight could escalate Marinette turned to Chloe,

“How about you find some costumes, and take Sabrina, Max, and Kim with you, they have a good eye” Chloe jumped onto the excuse in an instant,

“I guess even you sometimes have good ideas, Kim! Max! Sabrina! Follow me”

As the group of four left Nino turned back to Marinette,

“Great job! Now we have no lead”

“No we need to find Mylene, we would have more luck if we all looked”

“We're running out of time! We need a lead now”

“Mari can do it!” Nino and Marinette instantly turned around to look at Alya,

“What? No! I can't act. I’m the producer”, Kissing her best friend/fake crush was not on Marinette's to-do list. Before she could protest further Nino jumped onto the idea,

“That's a great idea, get ready Marinette”

\----

As Juleka, Rose and Nathanial helped her get ready for the part, Marinette felt an uncomfortable feeling swell up in her chest, kissing Adrien just didn't seem like something she ever wanted to do. Her three friends seem to pick up on her dread,

“Are you sure you want to do this Mari?” It was Nathaniel that asked up Juleka and Rose has stopped what they were doing to listen,

“Not really, but I can just kiss him on the cheek or something” It was Juleka who piped up next,

“Well if you need a getaway excuse just ask us okay?”

“Okay”

\----

Chloe looked around the courtyard, it was creepy, even with Kim and Max bickering in the background. She was about to turn around and ask them to be quiet when Sabrina’s scream beat her to it. She whirled around to see Sabrina and Max caught in a creature - Akuma? - tail. They were screaming and Kim was backing away. She let out a scream of her own and watched in horror as the Akuma grew larger and knocked Kim out before taking him into its tail. She turned around to run, she only made five steps before there was a pain in her head and nothing.

\----

Marinette and Adrien were lending in for a kiss when,

**_ Sabrina! _ **

“What was that?” Marinette turned around to see it was Nathaniel who asked the question, he looked worried. She ran to the window but saw nothing.

**_ Max? Kim! Help! _ **

“That sounds like Chloe” It was Juleka that chimed in that time, the whole class now growing worried about the four missing students.

**_ No! Stop! Help Please! _ **

“We need to check it out” Her voice sounded stronger than she felt.

“Are you serious” She turned to Nathanial, trying to sound confidant,

“Yes”

\----

Marinette led the rest of the class down the stairs and into the courtyard. Nino was still filming, properly trying to get at least something for the film festive. While she and the rest of the class were calling out their missing friends' names, Marinette found more pink goo on the floor. As she crouched down to take a closer look she heard someone behind her.

“What is that?” Adrien asked, confused leaking into his voice.

“I’m not sure but I found the same goo in the bathroom from when I was looking for Mylene.” Adrien reached past her and picked up a headband that was sitting next to the goo,

“This is Kim’s”, He said it loud enough for the rest of the class to hear.

After hearing the news the class proceeded to panic, Alya tried to calm the situation,

“Guy’s we don't really have anything right now! They could be playing some kind of sick joke, we need to gather the facts first. This was a reporter would do” Marinette agreed,

“We should tell Principle Damocles, and Nino, stop filming”

“No way, it's just getting good!”

Marinette sighed, she needed to find a place to transform and get to the bottom of this, there was almost definitely an Akuma on the loose and she was willing to bet it was Mylene.

\----

While the rest of the class went to check in with the Principle Adrien slipped back into the classroom and opened his jacket to let Plagg out. He then took off his shoe and placed it on the floor near the teacher's desk. Plagg looked confused but before he had time to ask any questions Adrien quickly transformed and Chat Noir left to start investigating. 

\----

Marinette watched as Alya jiggled the handle on the door to the principal's office, when the door proved to be locked, Alya started to bang on the door calling for Principal Damocles. When there was still no answer the girl resorted to kicking the door in. 

They were met with the sight of the office covered in the hard pink good. The desk in particular was covered in it. Rose let out a small gasp stating that,

“Even the principal is missing” The girl looked horrified.

Marinette let her classmates try and figure out what was going on while she slipped out into the hallway. She dropped her phone on the ground to make it look like she was taken before entering a supply closet to transform. It was time for Ladybug to make an appearance. 

\----

Nino walked out of the Principal's office to look around, he had come to the distressing conclusion that Marinette was also missing when he found her phone on the floor by the door. How the monster - Akuma? - had gotten that close without any of them noticing was terrifying through a process that Nino was not ready to follow. His musings were interrupted by Ladybug,

“Is everything okay?” At this point, the rest of the class had started to come out of the classroom to see what was going on. When Ladybug got confirmation that everyone was in one piece she started to push them towards the door,

“We have to evacuate the building -” She was about to say more when Chat Noir interrupted.

“Easier said than done, once the goo dries its unbreakable, I already tried twice” 

Ladybug nodded and they walked back into the Principal's office, problem to discuss planning in a semi-private area. Nino tried to squash his inner fanboy because -  _ It's Ladybug and Chat Noir! -  _ and followed the two heroes in, while still recording on his phone. Ladybug seemed to notice his approach because she quickly told him and the class to,

“Stick together and stay behind us, we will figure out how to get you out safely, not let's go back to your classroom for now and try to barricade the doors”

The heroes, without another word, started to walk towards the classroom. 

\----

Ladybug followed behind her partner to the classroom, her class not far behind her. They were met with the sight of Chat crouching down by a shoe that was near the desk. Chat turned to face her,

“Anyone recognize this shoe?” Ladybug shook her head and Nino spoke up,

“That’s Adrien’s shoe” He sounded worried, she was more interested in the rest of the classroom,

“That’s weird, there's no pink slime!” Chat frowned and stood up, glazing around the room, they were interrupted in their thought process by Nathanial. 

“There’s some over here” The boy was crouching next to the desk, pointing just behind it. Before Ladybug could get a closer look, Nathaniel was pulled under the desk with a startled shout.

She screamed for the class to run and saw most of them exiting the room in a hurry. She would check to make sure they all got out but Ladybug was more focused on her friend who just got dragged under a desk. 

Just as Ladybug was moving closer to examine the desk an Akuma burst out from underneath, the Akuma reminded her of a sewage monster but pink and cute? Kind of cute. Well, it would be if her friend wasn't clutched in its tail. 

She turned around to check out who was left in the classroom, it was just her, Juleka, and Chat Noir. Juleka was staring up at the Akuma, not in fear but anger, she looked ready to punch it. This affected the Akuma as when it made eye contact with the girl the Akuma shrunk. Before anything else would happen Juleka was dragged out of the classroom by Chat.

Ladybug exited the room while her partner ran back into the classroom to distract the Akuma and hopefully find a way to free Nathaniel. She noticed that Nino was standing in the hallway filming the scene, Ladybug quickly dragged him out into the courtyard so that she would have more room to fight. She also acknowledged the rest of the class hiding behind one of the walls near the courtyard.

Chat landed next to her and Ladybug looked up to see the Akuma jump down to greet them in the courtyard, tail tightening around the redheaded boy in its grip. A pained shout from Nathaniel spurred Ladybug into action, she launched herself at the Akuma only to be batted away and into a basketball hoop. She was then covered in the goo which was quickly hardening. 

Chat took the lead from there and managed to fight off the Akuma for a little bit before he too was batted away to the stair railing and trapped with the goo. The Akuma then approached the rest of the class, who cowered in fear. This, Ladybug noticed, only served to make the Akuma grow stronger. The Akuma lowered itself to Ivan and sniffed him before licking his face, another sign that the Akuma was Mylene. After greeting Ivan the Akuma grabbed Alix in its tail and disappeared before anyone could chase it.

\----

From her place in the basketball hoop Ladybug called out for Chat to throw her his stick, he did and she used it to pry herself free. She then used her yoyo to free Chat before the goo dried. 

“I think the Akuma is strengthened by fear and weakened by people not being afraid of it.” Chat nodded,

“Yeah, I was picking up on that too” The class approached them,

“So what do we do now?” Alya, Ladybug looked down at the ground and saw a trail of good drying on the floor,

“We follow the goo”

\----

The trail of goo led to the basement which was definitely not creeping Chat out, not at all. As he followed Ladybug further into the basement they came across a room covered in pink goo with pods. He guessed the explained where the missing people ended up.

After coming to the same construction as him, Ladybug led a roll call. After one unfortunate mishap where he had to duck out of sight to answer for his name, the heroes determined that everyone who went missing were in the room. 

The rest of the class that had followed them in were now going to respective pods to check on their friends. Chat turned around to check the exit, only to find that the door they entered through was covered in a fresh layer of goo and the Akuma was right in front of it. 

He heard Ladybug call for her lucky charm and then mumble about guitar strings. He took a chance to glance at her while leading the Akuma away from his trapped classmates. Ladybug seemed to come up with an idea and she indicated for him to trap the monster somehow. Chat quickly summoned his cataclysm and led the Akuma under a group of metal pipes, he then destroyed the section of the roof holding the bars up and trapped the Akuma in the temporary cage.

While he had been setting the trap, Ladybug was making instruments and handing them to the class. She handed him one when he returned and directed the class to play Mylene's happy song. He didn't have time to question how Ladybug knew that song. Pretty quickly the fear in the room evaporated as the class played the song and that had an effect on the Akuma. The Akuma shrunk with each passing second until it was small enough to slip out of the bars and hide in Ivan’s arms. The boy then carefully removed the pin and handed it to Ladybug.

Ladybug released the butterfly and purified it. She then threw the guitar strings into the air and used her Kwaimes magic to fic any damages. After checking the class was alright the hero’s shared a fist bump before removing themselves from the area to de transform.

\----

The next day in class Chloe and Mylene came in late, both girls looked a little unsure but they seemed on better ground than yesterday. They also found out that the judges found their short film completely unrealistic. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if you noticed but I had a bit of fun with the writing style for this chapter, let me know if you like this better then my normal one!
> 
> As always I love to see your comments and Kudos so feel free to leave them below! Also, constructive criticism is always welcome :D

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I hope you enjoyed the prologue!  
> Please leave a comment or kudos if you did, they give me life. 
> 
> For more info on this AU please DM me or check out this post by the creator of the AU:  
> https://princess-of-the-corner.tumblr.com/post/188217245332/i-mightve-thought-of-the-bestworst-ladybug-au


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